Drawing a home

Homeless youths draw for a fundraiser

Homeless youths draw for a fundraiser

March 01, 2006|D.L. PERRIN Tribune Correspondent

The children living at KeyStone Place, Centreville, may be temporarily homeless, but their imaginations remain grounded. Like all children they are happy with a pile of crayons and white sheets of paper so they can re-create the fantasies in their hearts. Recently, their artwork was put to good use. They were asked to draw a picture of their dream home. Some dream big like 9-year- old Timothy. "I want my house to look like a big castle," he proclaims with gusto. "I've seen castles before, and people can live in them still." His castle has only one window high up in the top of the tower, but a light is on. Other children indicated they want a big house filled to the rafters with children. "My house is very big and sweet," Jasmine said quietly as she bends her head to concentrate on her coloring. "My house will be full of happy kids like me." Her drawing shows a bright pink house with seven windows and a child in every window. There are pumpkins on the ground and Jasmine is out in her yard next to her tree. Eight children's drawings have been reproduced on blank greeting cards. The cards are a fundraiser for KeyStone Place, an emergency family shelter. Families and homeless individuals are given temporary shelter, clothing, room and board and other assistance as needed on a case-by-case basis. Some receive housing assistance, some find transportation and others find work. The agency provides whatever it takes to get the family or the individual back on track to becoming successful, contributing members of the community, according to director Kelli Tackett. "Our new facility has 25 beds, and we are full way too often," Tackett said. "We also average about 40 to 50 outreach families and individuals that we keep track of for months after they leave here. Some take longer than others to get back on their feet." Using the cards as a fundraiser was the idea of Diana Cucher, a KeyStone Place board member. "She brought it up back in November as a part of Homeless Awareness Week," Tackett explained. There are eight cards and envelopes to a package and all are individual designs by the shelter children ages 6 to 10. "We are hoping a large corporation will buy lots of these to use as their customer thank-you cards or something," Tackett added. The cost is $7 for each packet, 20 packets or more are $5 each. "If a bank, corporation or business would like the children to draw a special card just for them -- we are open to that idea as well." On the back of each card is the first name and age of the artist. Along with the following statement: "Today the average age of a homeless person is nine years old. The purpose of KeyStone Place, Inc. is to provide emergency shelter, homeless services, housing and information services to St. Joseph County's homeless population or family or individuals at risk for becoming homeless. It is our goal to assist the homeless and to promote change through self-worth and dignity." For more information, contact: KeyStone Place Inc.505 E. Market St., Centreville , MI, 49032. To order cards please call Kelli Tackett at (269) 467-9081 during regular business hours Monday-Friday.